Commuters face untold sufferings

Staff Reporter :
Thousands of commuters in Rangpur division have been facing immense sufferings with buses staying off the roads since Friday morning in the wake of a two-day strike called by bus-minibus owners and workers ahead of the BNP’s divisional rally in Rangpur city.
About 600 to 700 buses ply from Rangpur on different roads. Due to the sudden bus strike, passengers are suffering.
Other small vehicles are taking advantage of this situation and are charging passengers three/four times the regular fare.
Passengers are having to pay a huge amount to reach from Rangpur city, Bus Stand Terminal, Kamarpara, Modern Junction to Dhaka, Khulna, Bogura and Rajshahi etc.
Mizan, a resident of Balichara village in Sadar upazila of Rangpur, along with his wife and three-year-old son, went to Kamarpara bus stand in the city for travelling to Dhaka around 10:30 am. But he had to return home due to lack of transport.
Dhaka-bound passenger Rezaul Islam Manik said that they came from Kurigram to Rangpur in a small car to go to Dhaka. However, they are suffering due to lack of any transport in Rangpur.
A man named Rafiqul Islam came to the bus terminal with his 10-year-old daughter. They came from Sundarganj in Gaibandha to visit a relative admitted in Rangpur Medical College and Hospital on Wednesday.
But now there is no easy way for them to return home. He said, he is now forced to return to Sundarganj by autorickshaw, van or any other means.
Commuters, especially patients, who need to go to Rangpur Medical College Hospital for treatments, have been facing immense suffering following the ongoing two-day bus strike in Rangpur a day before BNP’s rally, reports our Dinajpur correspondent.
Many passengers are also becoming victims of fraud as bus helpers are promising to take them to Rangpur and then letting them off before the destination. Despite charging them more than usual, they are forcing passengers to get down at Gaibandha.
A passenger named Abdullah Al Farooq got on a Rangpur-bound bus from Rajshahi in the morning. But after reaching Charmatha area in Bogura, he was forced to get down.
Meanwhile, Rangpur BNP’s divisional rally is scheduled to be held on Saturday (29 October) at Collectorate Eidgah grounds.
Leaders and workers have been seen making various preparations around the day. Due to the strike, many of them started coming to Rangpur from Thursday night to make the rally successful.
The leaders and workers of the eight districts of Rangpur and other adjoining districts had already started for the rally on Thursday night and Friday by different vehicles including buses, trucks and trains.
Many of the central and other district leaders and workers have already reached the Rangpur much ahead of the rally to avoid any obstructions by the transport strike and to actively carry out the necessary tasks.
BNP has sought cooperation of all including the local administration to hold their rally peacefully.
Gaibandha BNP said most of their leaders and workers had left the district for Rangpur on Thursday night, while others started their journey for the rally on Friday morning.
District BNP said at least five thousand leaders and workers left Gaibandha on Thursday night ahead of the transport strike which started from 6am on Friday. Now the other activists were going there through alternative vehicles like motorcycles, battery-run auto-rickshaws and CNG.
District BNP President Moinul Islam said, “At least 25 thousand leaders and workers from seven Upazilas will attend the rally. A transport strike has been called like Mymensingh and Khulna. But it cannot stop us.”
Gaibandha Krishak Dal President Ilias Hossain said, “A mass upsurge has been created against the misrule of the Awami League government. The mass rallies prove it. Strikes, attacks and cases cannot stop the BNP’s rally. There will be no leaders and workers in our district. All will attend the rally.”
Meanwhile, all the buses in Gaibandha Central Bus Terminal were standing idle in queues. Most of the passengers who came to the terminal in the morning became frustrated. Finding no way many of them used small transports including auto-rickshaws to reach their destination.
Though the strike had been called to free the highways from the auto-rickshaws, Nosimon and Korimon, these vehicles were dominating the streets to carry the passengers from one place to another.
Many of the leaders and workers from Nilphamari district reached Rangpur on Thursday to avoid a transport strike while others left the district on Friday.
“Many BNP men reached Rangpur on Thursday. Others are going on Friday by microbus, easy-bike, CNG and motorcycles. We had a target of 10 thousand workers, but now it will be more,” Nilphamari BNP General Secretary Jahurul Alam said.
At least eight thousand BNP from Thakurgaon reached Rangpur early Friday to avoid a bus strike and they spent the night in a warehouse in Uttam Baniapara area of Rangpur city.
“Around eight thousand BNP men reached Rangpur on Friday night. Some five thousand will reach by day,” Thakurgaon Sadar Upazila BNP General Secretary Abdul Hamid said.
Meanwhile, the local administration has beefed up security in the Rangpur district ahead of the rally. Law enforcers including police have already been deployed in different strategic points of the area.
Besides, the law enforcers will also remain on high alert during the rally on Saturday to fend off any kind of undesirable incidents.